


Yesterday's Normal

by SoulOfAFangirl684



Series: KH Drabbles [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Destiny Islands (Kingdom Hearts), Drabble, Friendship, Gen, Self-Reflection, Shared experiences, Takes place between KH2 and DDD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:40:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25617502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoulOfAFangirl684/pseuds/SoulOfAFangirl684
Summary: Returning to the island gives Sora a chance to reflect on his life now and who he used to be.
Relationships: Kairi & Riku & Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: KH Drabbles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883137
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	Yesterday's Normal

**Author's Note:**

> For the most part, this is just a little drabble-y something to try and cure how I’ve barely been writing at all lately. (Not gonna lie; July’s kinda sucked. And that’s saying something this year.)  
> But this is always a time period in stories that’s fascinated me—the time in between the actual next book or game or whatever where the characters are expected to just go back to their regular lives until the next adventure… Specifically here, the time between KH2 and DDD.

The islands hadn’t changed a bit. That’s what he tried to tell himself anyway. 

It really _was_ good to be home. That was genuine. And as he wandered around all his old favorite spots… all the places that used to define him… everything was comfortingly familiar. The local grocer at the tiny shop around the corner from his house still greeted him by name with a wide smile when he walked through the door… but he didn’t recognize any of the songs playing through the radio overhead anymore. He still knew his way around his old school building… but his years away made the teachings in his textbooks practically indecipherable. He could still spot an incoming storm miles out to sea… but the thrill this used to bring was entirely absent. 

After all, watching bolts of lightning strike the waves could hardly compare to the adrenaline of facing Heartless on all sides. Literally a thousand of them… He smiled a bit to himself, remembering how flabbergasted he’d felt to learn afterwards that Jiminy had actually been keeping count. But the smile faded when he automatically went to glance over his shoulder and had to be reminded that his friend wouldn’t be perched there. 

No, the islands hadn’t changed. But the way he viewed these islands had changed. _He_ had changed. 

And he faced a perfect example of it right now. The little ‘play island’ just offshore from the mainland used to be a place he only visited with friends. That had been the whole point—to have a space where they could run wild. He was actually a little grateful Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka had outgrown it. Now it was a place he came to find peace. A chance to be alone with his thoughts. 

He didn’t think the old Sora had _had_ any thoughts he’d ever needed to really reflect on—with company or otherwise. But that didn’t sound right, because a lot of the time, he _did_ still feel like the old Sora. When it was just him and Riku and Kairi… When he could reminisce about the time an animated clock and candlestick had shown him around a castle without getting odd looks… This island had become the place where Kairi could talk about watching Sora subdue a giant three-headed dog through Sora’s own eyes… Where Riku had described the difference between the smells of the darkness clinging to Ansem and… Ansem. 

These were the things that felt real these days. He’d say his algebra homework might as well be from another world, but… that didn’t have quite the same meaning it used to. 

In many ways, he still felt like the same Sora he’d always been… but he could barely reconcile his mind today with the boy who’d once sat on this beach, dreaming of the outside world. First experiences were something that could never be recreated. But he could still remember standing on the deck of The Jolly Roger, drunk on the feeling of flying for the first time. 

And then… there was an odd sort of echo to this memory. 

The sensation traveled down his body, giving the muscles in his legs a little prod. He wandered up the beach, the sand shifting with each step, until he stood before the little waterfall just outside the entrance to the secret place. The stone behind the waterfall was a smooth, light gray. Just the right conditions, with the water flowing steadily over it, to create a somewhat reflective surface. He stared at the sheet of water… and somehow wasn’t surprised to see a less-than-perfect reflection staring back. 

One part of him knew there technically _was_ no Roxas anymore. And another part of him was watching with rapt fascination, waiting to see if Roxas would do something. This had happened a few times since he’d been home—flashes of his Nobody as his gaze swept over the bathroom mirror—but the image had never been stable like this. 

It did not take long for Sora to grow impatient. Roxas blinked when he did. An experimental lift of his pointer finger could be seen mimicked by the figure in the water. But there was no independent action. 

He was just about to turn away when something hit him. He saw the red blur flying across the water just a split second before it collided with his shoulder. Just enough time for his battle instincts to kick in so he could brace himself, digging his heels into the sandy path. 

“Here you are!” Kairi said by way of greeting. There was a laugh in her voice, just like there always used to be, and it warmed his heart. He’d thrown his hands up to catch her, and they still rested on her shoulders, but she remained with almost her full body weight leaning up against him. “We’ve been looking for you!” 

Only then did he look past her and noticed Riku strolling up the path after her, just slow enough to allow them this much of a private moment. 

Kairi’s attention had moved on to the wall of water he’d been so absorbed in a moment ago. The spark in her eyes had softened a little. And her voice was softer when she said, “You see them too, right? In the water?” 

Sora directed his gaze back towards the reflections in the waterfall. And sure enough, Roxas continued to stare back at him. But when he looked at the figure standing beside Roxas, all he saw was Kairi. He was sure Kairi saw Naminé through her own eyes—and maybe Roxas as well. He wondered what that said about the two of them… Because while Kairi had definitely grown up in his absence, he felt the most like his old self when he spent time with her. 

Riku finally made it to their spot by the waterfall, and the three stood side by side, staring at their reflections in the water. Like a puzzle piece clicking into place, Sora saw Roxas morph back into his actual mirror image. 

He tried to remember lounging on the beach, Riku urging them to get their butts in gear and help him finish the raft… and found that perhaps these memories weren’t so far away after all. At a time when he should be reveling in the chance to relax, Sora still felt the call of an adventure. 

He’d thus far spent his return to the islands rediscovering all the things that had once made this place home. But he was not that person anymore. The two things that defined _home_ now were standing on either side of him. He could feel his fingers twitch, the itch of a Keyblade waiting to materialize in his palm. No, the journey wasn’t over. Not yet. And whatever came next, he knew they would tackle it together. 

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sure Sora seems a little out of character here… I have this headcanon that he’d revert back to normal as soon as they were back on their adventure but that he would be this quieter, more reflective version of himself while out of action like this… I didn’t mean for him to come across as angsty, by any means. Outwardly, he probably has a peaceful sort of air about him… but inside… there’s some depth to those thoughts.


End file.
